The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-17
NATURAL GAS IN INDIANA
A Scientific Statement by a Scientist Re-
speeding Its Probabilities and Nature.
Topography Of the Trenton Rock-Striking
Gas Matter Of Luck-A Word as to BoOms.

CRAwFoRDsvILLE, April l6-Music Hall was
filed to overfowing. Thursday evening, to hear
the lecture delivered by Prof. John NJ. Coulter,
of Wabash College, on the subject of natural
gas. The Professor presented the subject in a
new light, and the lecture is printed in full be-
low:
1t is evident even to the most casual observer.
That we are at present making history rapidly.
A score of years hence, when the excitements OF
she century are being summed up, mean place
sill be given to natural gas. 1t will rank with
the gold fever of 40, when men risked life and
property in the furious rush for wealth; with the
Dill craze of 60, when fortunes were made in a
day and men went mad with excitement The
present furore, begun in '65, has not reached it's
Hood, and to hear the prophets of the day 1t Is
to revolutionize the affairs of men and to cleo
lrfy into a new and tremendous activity this
blow going decade. 1t is q time when we are all
prophets or the sons OF prophets. and the man,
woman or child who does not breakfast, dine and
sup gas" "shale," $50 many hundreds of
feet" and above all, Trenton rock" is un worthy
place in this of progress Nothing is toe
wild to say or believe, and 1t was only last week
heard man who owned natural-gas stock
planning to a gaping throng that natural gas was
''just the same as the gas of a soda fountain,
and was made tie same way" TO meet the de-
mands of the times race of streetcorner
scientists has sprung up ready to explain
the structure Of the universe in general
md natural gas in particular. This
Tribe is not only characterized by its
Inspired familiarity with the doings of the Al
mighty, but by being the only scientists alb
solutely and urshakabiy positive in their knowl-
edge The heavens and earth may pass away,
but one jot or one little of their word will not.
1t can be given as safe rule that the man who
Is positive is not scientific
Even invention is stimulated by natural gas,
for in q certain cultured city of the State. re-
Gently, scientist turned up with machine
claimed to locate any subterranean source Of
To
the old witch-ha rod which, in judicious
hands. you are aware, "by simple twist Of the
wrist can be made to point TO water; very
sure guide IN regions where there Is no difficulty
in reaching water anywhere So the witch-h hazel
Z professor was engaged, and to avoid the neces-
sty of trauping through rough country the
machine was passed over large map and the
well located. This must stand, think. as one
OF the monumental follies of the natural-gas
''craze." That people are so ioften more ready
to believe the fantastic and improbable than
sober truth is relic Of superstition that still
turks q sediment at the bottom of our clarified
intelligence. ready to cloud it and lead US to
folly. Doubtless many of the deductions Of
science which / shall attempt to give, and which
of necessity have some foundation in fact,
will be scoffed at and preference
will be expressed for impossible theories that
have not even the shadow of fact to support
them, and, more than likely, unanswerable
proofs against them. The difficulties in the way
of preparing a lecture on natural gas are some
thing as follows:
The subject is so new that we are but begin
ming to collect the facts and some of the most
important Of these demand longer time than
any study of gas wells has given
This being the case, it will be safe to predict
that everyoEa will be disappointed with the
ecture, for probably the audience expects a full
md satisfactory explanation of natural gas, to-
yether with predictionas to whether we
20 expect it here or not The commoneet re-
mark will be that nothing was settled / can
Assure you, my friends, that only the inspired
for
you.
Another trouble is that almost every man has
his pet theory, which he proposes to believe in
spite of 'the world, the flesh, the DEVIL ard
even truth itself. AS it would be impossible to
express any opinion without opposing some peo-
res ''stock in trade" that trouble becomes
serious one. Add to the difficulties enumerated.
another very important fact, viz: That no man
knows any thing about natural gas, and you have
array of obstacles that is well nigh appalling.
l take for granted, however, that the most
reasonable desire simply q knowledge of the
known facts and the best thoughts of science
concerning their explanation. In short, what
do scientific men say about ali this9 1t must be
said at the outset that scientific man pre-
tends to say that he has solved the problem, but
Is ready enough to express his opinion upon the
facts in hand. just now he considers the drill
his best friend, and waits its revelations with as
great interest as the stakeholder. The advan-
tage in obtaining the opinion OF professional
biologists is not that they settle anything, but
that they are in the best position to express q
reasonable opinion In the universal region of
ignorance touching this matter, they are only a
little less ignorant than others. In the matter
of predicting whether at any given locality gas
will be struck their opinion IS no whit better
than that of other men. and no ones opinion is
worth believing have said that the profess
sional geologist is in better position to express
trustworthy opinion than any other set of
men. for we might we'll at tho outset sweep
nway the old objection that scientific men are
not practical. They may not know how to make
asr,i dali hv,tv he t1n~1 -
the direction of their profession. l can assure
you that the day is long past when scientific
men were not practical. The man who to-day
is not practical cannot be scientific; and no man
has closer, more everyday grip upon cold facts
than the man of science; these are sheir TOOLS and
you might as well say that farmer does not
know . plow harrow or asrake as to say that
a scientific man does not know facts. It is the
lack of facts that makes the theorizer, and
venture to say that he who knows the least
about the facts in the case is the one most con-
hdent that his theory of natural gas is the only
one that will explain it 1t is the scientific
worker, with his tremendous array of facts,
who can meet every theory advanced with what
they cannot explain
In our brief study Of this subject tonight
several interesting topics must be passed by. 1t
IS not pertinent TO my purpose to speak of the
history of the subject, telling of the discovery
and rapid developmentof this new agent; nor of
its geography, giving An account Of the regions
ut home and in foreign countries producing
upon industries. All these are the facts
most easily obtained. I would employ our time
in considering natural gas as found in Indiana;
its location, its nature, its possible origin. In
the outset / would refer you to the excellent
presentation of the facts OF the subject bv the
State GeologIst in his recent report. 1t is
true th-t the facts have been multiplied many
fold since the date of that publication, but they
have been largely repetitions of those therein re-
corded.
To understand the location of natural gas
In Indiana. IL becomes necessary for us to know
something about the geology of the State. The
geological history of the earth is recorded in its
rock strata and these lie one above another, in
the order of their age. like the different courses
OF brick in the walls of house. Taking all the
records in these rocky pages, biologists have
made history in four volumes or rock series.
Volume deals with the dawn of geological his
tory. which might be called the legendary part.
Volume II tells of ancient history (geologcally
speaking), while Volumes III and " contain
medieval and modern history. respectively.
Our interest in all this lies in the fact that the
geological history of Indiana, so far as its rock
formations are concerned. is all contained in the
second volume--that devoted TO ancient history
This series of rocks is called the Palmozoic. a
name that even newspapers beginning to
handle with impunity. 1t simply means IAN.
Gent life," and is another way of stating the
subject of our second volume. Some might be